A Newcastle University Business School alumna has been recognised with a purple plaque for her achievements.

Originally from Hexham, Charlotte Windebank, managing director and co-founder of FIRST, was honoured with the plaque after winning the Women in Innovation Award from Innovate UK.

An event was held to celebrate her achievement at the university, where the permanent purple plaque was unveiled.

The event also included speeches from Ms Windebank, Innovate UK representatives, the school dean, and her former teaching colleagues.

Ms Windebank, a graduate of the Executive MBA, co-founded FIRST, an organisation that promotes enterprise skills and entrepreneurship for underrepresented communities.

She said: "The celebration event was unforgettable.

"I will cherish it forever and it still feels surreal.

"Here's to many more purple plaques for the Business School."

An event was held to celebrate her achievement at the university (Image: Supplied) Gaia Hudson, marketing manager at Innovate UK, said: "We hope that Charlotte’s plaque will serve as a lasting reminder to Newcastle University Business School students that anyone can change the world through innovation."

The purple plaque is Innovate UK’s version of the blue plaques which commemorate influential historic figures.

Stewart Robinson, dean of Newcastle University Business School, said: "It’s an inspiration to see the work being done by Charlotte and Innovate UK to not only support innovation in the North East – something close to our heart – but for shining a light on the work of underrepresented founders in the region."

Lucy Hatt, reader in entrepreneurial education, said: "Charlotte has done all of this and more.

"She is a true champion of innovation, and her journey is a testament to the transformative power of lifelong learning."

The purple plaque is Innovate UK’s version of the blue plaques (Image: Supplied) Ms Windebank co-founded FIRST ten years ago in response to graduating during an economic crash.

She said: "Over time, we've expanded and formalised our services, now offering both accredited and informal education in enterprise skills and entrepreneurship."

FIRST’s work includes training in enterprise and entrepreneurship, and initiatives like the Startup Awards North East.

Ms Windebank said: "We needed indicators that would allow us to communicate the value of our work, not just for us, but for universities, Government, and other organisations as well."